Duality
by Swift Sketch - Jadazzle
Summary: [OC/AU/HiE(soon)] Sometimes, after terrible things, ponies change. Shaded Comet, an ex-guardspony, is no stranger to this. And now, Equestria will change. And he's the only one who can do anything about it.


_**Welcome one, and welcome all! This **__**is**__** my main project for the entirety of this year, and I hope any who read this will stick aroud to guide and encourage me.**_

_**For those of you new to me, or my stories, this will mean practically nothing to you. For those who read my first story, which shall never be metioned again from this point onwards, this is a complete retelling of the story. New ideas, corrections, theories and a lot more will be included.**_

_**A heads up: the entire story is set in an alternate Equestria, well... kinda. You'll see. It follows my timeline of events.**_

_**But anyway. Let's get on with it.**_

_**Chapter I - A Canterlot Wedding - Part 1**_

**Based on the events of several video games, movies and, of course, My Little Pony.**

**Any and all rights to certain characters or places in this story, save for those I create, belong solely to those who create them. I do not own any of the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic characters.**

**If anyone has any questions, relating to the story or otherwise, please leave it in a review and I'll answer it ASAP.**

_July 21st, 1012 AD_

It was a glorious day. It seemed only fair to the ponies of Canterlot that it accompanied a glorious occasion.

The city itself seemed to pulse with the excitement and energy that the population exuded. The towering structures that rose high above the streets sparkled in the noon sunlight. The alabaster stone was decorated with multitudes of bright colours; reflecting the ponies' equally joyous emotions. Spirits soared as high as the pegasi who were clearing the sky, darting through the air with bunting gripped between teeth and hooves. Everypony had a wide grin on their face. Peals of light-hearted laughter filled the streets, blanketing the faint whisperings of the midday breeze that had swept in from the Bridle Shores, to the south-east.

A single pegasus, clad in the gleaming gold of the Celestial guard, watched with a lax frown as he slowly made his way along his patrol route, occasionally assisting with the preparations. The faint scents of bakers' wares and floral decorations hung on the breeze, floating along like a feather in the wind. He sniffed. His brilliant-white wings bristled at his side at the aroma, and he licked his lips, slowing to a halt. Enamoured by the taste of cinnamon in the air, Shaded Comet silently praised the baker with a sly nod, and continued on his way. Several ponies, puzzled by the guard's obvious delight, merely shook their heads. He had just broken protocol after all. But who cared?

Advancing further into the city, Shaded slowly audjusted his helmet; it was slightly uncomfortable. As he did so, the azure plumes adorning the crest swished with every slight movement, fanning a small amount of coolness across his cheeks. He was mindful of the ceremonial spear he had tucked under his left foreleg, however. Unbeknownst to the ponies around him, the spear was blunted. But, it could still pack a vicious punch.

In the distance, he could see a gate to the main courtyard. It was manned by a single guard.

_There's probably more just inside the walls_, he thought to himself as he passed through the checkpoint undeterred. Once inside, the corners of his mouth lifted.

Here, spirits were even higher than the pegasi. A great, bustling crowd of unbridled happiness was taking the preparations by storm. The egotistical and unpretentious were working tirelesslyto finsih the preparations in time. Why? In a few hours' time, the biggest event of the year was to begin. The wedding of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, to none other than Shining Armour.

_Shining Armour_, Shaded smiled to himself as he made his way into the castle. As a Captain of the Canterlot Guard, he was charged with the protection of the city and it's population. A demanding job, at the very least. _At least it's a hooves-on kind of job._

He passed an armoured unicorn, and motioned for him to follow. The guard obliged with a nod.

"How much longer until preparations are finished?" Shaded asked as they briskly trotted, glancing at his companion.

"Not long now, Lieutenant. Another ten minutes at the most," the unicorn promised.

"Okay. We're on schedule... but what about security?" Shaded stopped suddenly, rounding on the unicorn with an unreadable expression. The snow-white unicorn uncomfortably searched around for anypony in earshot who shouldn't be before answering.

"No sign of attacks, or suspicious activity."

"Then double security around the gates, and get some patrols in the air."

The unicorn suddenly looked uncertain, faltering several times in an attempt to speak; only just managing a shocked "Sir?"

Shaded Comet sighed, removing his helmet. Instantaneously, a faint wave of sparkling cobalt washed over his body, leaving it a stark gray in comparison to the colour it was under the enchantment. His blueberry eyes glinted in the sun as he squinted at the unicorn. The only thing that didn't change, however, was the colour of his mane. Still the same cobalt-cerulean blend.

"We don't know who's issued the threat against Canterlot. Tartarus, we don't even know if it's legitimate! It's better to be prepared. For all we know, they might be in the city already," the pegasus' expression hardened. "Captain Armour's being worked to the bone keeping Canterlot safe _and _planning his wedding. Since the day he ties the knot with Princess Cadenza is _tomorrow_, I think it's only fair that he's not under pressure."

"B-but, sir-"

Shaded's nostrils flared. "Haven't you got a job to do? Go!"

Quailing, the guard retreated with a hastened "Yes, sir!"

With a shake of his head, Shaded looked to the sky. He could only just see the shimmering purple shield that currently encased Canterlot. Biting the inside of his cheek, he turned away, a sickening feeling twisting his stomach into a tightly bound knot.

He stood there, stoically silent for a few moments, before turning his gaze to the balcony high above. The wedding would take place tomorrow, and available time was drawing to a close.

Taking a breath, he replaced his helmet, and trotted inside.

The moment he opened the door, several mares rushed out, brows furrowed in anger. Five brows, to be exact. Shaded recognised these ponies; they were the Elements of Harmony. He didn't know their names, however. Standing aside to let them pass, he heard a few hissed words that caught his interest. Snagged in their conversation, he listened for as long as he could.

"_I can't believe she did that!" _The pink one, Laughter, he thought, shook her head sadly. Her mane was strangely flat, hanging down her face limply.

_"I reckon she's jealous of all the attention Princess Cadenza's getting!" _Said a sky-blue pegasus, flicking her shockingly vibrant mane out of her eyes. He thought it was a trick of the light at first, but no, to his astonishment, her mane was indeed the colours of the rainbow.

_"But to storm in like that- it's unacceptable! Outrageous!"_ A white unicorn added, her tone clipped. Her accent was somewhat familiar, but that wasn't what he noticed.

Wasn't there six Elements of Harmony?

Shaded raised an eyebrow at this, and glanced inside. Sure enough, there was nopony following; the absence of clopping hooves was a clear indication. Once they had all made their way past, he sidled through the doors, concern tugging at his eyebrows.

He trotted quietly down the ancient halls, and up several flights of stairs. He passed numerous guards and serving-ponies, assistants and aides, but not who he was looking for. Thus, he kept moving forwards. If he remembered correctly, the Elements were here to supervise and help with preparations.

_Then the Captain's the one I need to ask._

He slowed to a halt, a slight wince portrayed on his features. He didn't want to disturb him, really. Surely there must be someone else? _Princess Cadenza? No. Princess Celestia? Undoubtably busy. Princess Luna? No idea where she is. Who's the wedding planner? _He swiftly turned to an on-station guard, who quickly snapped further into attention, if it were physically possible.

"Who's planning the wedding, soldier?"

The guard answered without moving his eyes off Shaded's. "That'll be Twilight Sparkle, sir. The Princess' student."

_Ah. _"Where can I find her?"

The guard suddenly got very uncomfortable, and figited slightly in place. "I, ah... She was last seen in the throne room, but-"

"But what?" Shaded interjected, stepping forwards.

"She, erm," the guard struggled to find his words for a moment, wings twitching in vexation, "It appeared as if Lady Twilight had a moment of... _extreme _stress." Shaded blinked in surprise, not really sure what to think. His lips moved without him knowing, mouthing the final words back to the guard. He, in turn, shrugged. "I don't know sir. Exact details haven't reached me yet. Stormchaser and Poppycock were on duty where it happened."

With a groan, Shaded thanked the guard, and raced off in search of the two. As he did, he began to brood. Deep in thought, he reflected on the past few weeks; everything of importance up to this point in time. His expression curdled, and he shook his head.

_Uh-uh. Not here._

**/)*(\**

Frustration tore at his mind as he lay in complete silence, in the darkened stillness of the barracks. Around him, the rising and falling of familiar guardsponies' chests was accompanied by the soft breaths of the wind outside, diverted inside by the open windows. The curtains whooshed in the breeze, billowing out slightly. Armour, neatly stacked against the far wall, gleamed in the delicate caress of starlight.

Shaded hadn't been able to extract any form of information from Stormchaser or Poppycock; they had no idea where Twilight could be. Then again, if they hadn't broken critical protocol, they would know. They should have remained in the room, regardless of Princess Celestia or the accompanying party had left.

But he couldn't hold it against them.

No, he was frustrated at his Captain. Shining Armour had been acting differently recently, even down to the way he carried himself around the palace. He seemed to be in great pain, whether emotional or physical, Shaded knew not; he had discovered that Captain Armour had dismissed his own sister from the position of ring-bearer in the wake of the incident.

Whether an extreme punishment or not, Shaded could care less about the end result. It was the fact that he, her friends _and _Princess Celestia had turned her aside that irked him. Nopony had seen her since. _That _was worrying.

While an extremely rare event, to the point of non-existence even, _Magus Erodund _was a worry forefront on his mind. Distressed unicorns struggle to cast spells at the best of times. If they succeeded, but failed to regulate the amount of magic they used...

_Nasty._

He turned onto his side, closing his eyes; attempting to drift away into the deepest sleep possible. Soon, he felt his eyelids becoming heavy. Then, darkness.

**/)*(\**

The fog rolled inland, steadily sweeping everything into a swelling sea of obscurity. Darkened clouds were scattered around the night sky. Occasionally, a sliver of soft-silver moonbeam permeated the mist, making the accumulated moisture sparkle like billions of tiny crystals in a particular spot; never once remaining in the same place. It was as if a shimmering curtain of starlight was being shifted by a graceful breeze. The great fingers of oak and elm branches reached out into the fog; the star-spun blanket swirling around the limbs elegantly. The leaves of such trees were oddly tranquil, resting carelessly in the embrace of the night.

Beneath the roots, multitudes of creatures lay slumbering. Insects, mammals and amphibians alike dozed together, blissfully unaware at what was to come.

Lifting his head, a pony listened intently. There was no noise, save for the gurgling of a nearby creek and the breath of the wind racing through the treeline. The air smelt lightly of tangy dew and fragrant wildflowers, tingling the inside of his nostrils pleasantly. Beneath his hooves, the rarely-trodden dirt crumbled without resistance as he continued onwards, glancing between gnarled trees every few steps.

Blinking past the murk and muck, he recalled why he was here.

"Speedy? Where are you? Speedy?!" He called out. As if to mock him, the ancient trees returned the plea, reverberating in the stillness.

Each tree he passed seemed to become more malevolent in its posing as she traversed deeper. Shadows clumped together, hiding much away from view. The moonlight became cold. The silence threatened to deafen him. With each passing moment, he felt something. Something that _should not be_. Something so... _wrong _that it began to undermine his previous confidence. The chilled air bit at his bared fur, and gnawed on his bones.

Pulling his cloak closer against himself, he snuggled into the warm fabric for comfort.

_Dammit Speedy, where are you?, _the lone colt wondered. _Why did you have to run into the Everfree forest? I don't wanna be in here! C'mon, where are you?_

The fear-induced knot in his stomach tightened as he walked, leaving him weak at the knees. Regardless, he trudged onwards, intent on finding his brother.

Shaded Comet was no hero. He wasn't even a stallion, by law. But he was one thing: an older brother.

And woe betide anypony who dared to lay a hoof on his brother.

**/)*(\**

Shaded awoke with a start, cold sweat drenching his body, sheets thrown asunder from his bed. He also seemed to be on the floor. Ah, that explained why his head hurt more than usual.

He groaned, slowly massaging his temples in an attempt to alleviate the thumping.

"Sir? Are you alright?" An unarmoured guard called from the door, poking her head around to check on him.

"I'm fine," he nodded feebly, "I think."

"You were banging and thrashing around before I came in... Are you sure you're okay?"

"Well, I've got a headache, but... I always have one." He raised himself off the floor and grabbed the sprawling sheets with his mouth, returning them to the bed.

"Maybe you should see a doctor?" The mare suggested, flipping her chestnut-brown mane to the side as she spoke. At her side, her wings bristled, a sure sign of concern.

Outside, the brilliance of the morning sun threatened to blind the colt. The rising sun cast beautiful sheets of pink and orange across the sky, and where thin clouds lazily shifted, the colours shone through. Even from his room, he could see each individual sparkling dew-coated blade of grass on the lawn outside, like miniature stars blinking in the light. The peals of laughter from the assembled crowds streamed in through the open window, accompanied by the cheerful songs of early-rising birds. It was a magnificent sight to wake up to.

"Later. We've got work to do. What's the time?" Shaded asked, pulling himself up.

"Around seven, sir." Before Shaded could begin to protest at how late it was, she tentatively cut him off. "We all decided it would be best to let you rest for a while longer... Everything that needed to be done has been done, so there's no slight on our part. We're not even on duty today."

He nodded slowly, before giving her an even stare. "I appreciate the extra sleep, but don't let it happen again." The grey stallion paused to look out the window. "And, it doesn't matter if we're on duty or not. We are all alert today."

Something occured to him as the mare began to leave the room, and he turned back to her.

"Has Lady Twilight been sighted since yesterday?"

The pegasus mare shook her head silently.

A curse upon his lips, Shaded dismissed the guard with a nod.


End file.
